Some days ago, Kim and I had the amazing opportunity to go down to Belize to join an Archeological Expedition close to the Guatemalan boarder.  The trip was organized by Lisa a Professor on the University of Illinois who has studied the ancient Maya for years.

The short trip had three main goals, first to explore and map a deep cave, second to look for Mayan Artifacts and third to get some images of the huge fossil beds that are filled with ancient bones.

Kim had already part taken in a previous expedition and was part of the team that had explored and surveyed the Cenote. Already back then he called me right when he came back to tell me about this huge tunnel they had discovered at 200ft/60mtr depth. I was so incredible stoked and excited to check the place out and now it was finally the time to do so.

We packed the truck and with all the gear, tanks, CCR and other stuff and headed down on the 8 hour drive to the Banana Banks. It was an amazing drive and so interesting how everything changes once you cross the boarder. Although I consider myself fluent in English I have to admit it took some time to get used to the strong Belize accent.
Crossing the Boarder was super easy: Bring a list with all the stuff you want to bring to Belize and take back later, have some money ready to pay the car insurance that is mandatory and stop for decontamination which is also a must before you can drive your car through Belize. Everything is made out of wood and has a strong Creole touch, with the main food being Chicken, Rice and Beans =)

The Banana Bank Lodge where we were staying, is surrounded by amazing jungle and bypassed by the river. The sound is amazing, all sorts of birds and  of course the super loud screams of the howler monkeys.  There are several nice little bungalows, everything is made by hand and fits perfect in the surrounding. They have several interesting animals around, my favorite being “Tika” the Jaguar, who I could watch for hours. Every night we would eat with all the team as well as all the other guests of the hotel some amazing creole dinner, no menu, you eat whats on the table and it was always amazing!

The dive team consisted of Kim who was exploring parts of the deep cave, Chip who was scanning the  floor for artifacts, Marty the videographer and me also exploring the cave.
When we arrived the first day at the site I was amazed to watch the locals cut a huge trail to the waters edge in no time. Having cut quite a few trails myself I was stunned by their technique and speed. It was simply amazing watching them constructing a 10ft/3mtr ladder in no time after using a bunch of vines to rope up the roof of the camp. These guys just rock!!!!

On the first dive we immediately realized that the hurricane and the wildfire had done terrible things. Plenty of trees had collapsed into the Cenote cutting the lines or covering them with lots and lots of debris.
Kim. Chip and Marty were looking for artifacts as well as cleaning up the fossil beds to get good footage while I did my first check out dive of the huge cavern. I dropped straight down to 180ft/55mtr and from there swam slowly direction north into the overhead. The cave kept on dropping fast to 230ft/70mtr where it leveled off. It reminded my strongly of diving in the Austrian lakes due to the dark green color and the trees. It was super dark and extremely silty and after a short swim I unfortunately already had reached the back wall of the room. There I turned right and followed the wall  along the floor until I swam again towards the exit so I turned. Back at the tie off where I had found the back wall I made a “T” and now checked the other side of the room for possible passages going further north but did not find any. I had already laid a bit more then a full reel and  was at 50 min bottom time which was enough for a first check out and so I made my way back to the exit to ascend and start decompression.
Back at the surface I met the other who where exited to report that they had yet found more fossils which was super exciting and so we all had a great first dive and now where on the one hour drive back through the jungle to the banana bank lodge.

The next day we were back for more Kim and I were diving the cave with Kim looking for cave at 170ft/50mtr and me surveying the line I had laid the day before and scanning the wall again for a possible opening. Meanwhile Chip helped Marty to get some insane shots of the fossils. This dive I did one hour bottom time and met Kim later on the ascend line both signaling that we were not lucky with our search for a going tunnel.

The next day had yet another deep dive on the program looking for more artifacts on the floor and shooting some more for the documentation. At the end of each dive we were all feeling good and also went for runs at night with no signs or symptoms of DCS.

Last day was 100% dedicated to science and so we shot plenty of footage of the various fossil beds, took rock and fossil samples and measured some of the huge bones. We even gave a little interview at the end which was pretty funny =)

All in all I had an amazing time and enjoyed every minute of it, the landscape, the people, the food, the crew, the dives, the lodge, the jungle, the animals, just everything. Can’t wait to go back!!!

What can cave diving in Mexico offer you and what can you expect? I personally think that Mexico offers the best and most diverse cave diving in the world. I don’t write that because I live and work here diving the caves pretty much every day. That is my personal opinion for what caves I have dived so far around the world and what I have heard from other divers from all around the world.
Rate of exploration in the area is incredible and the nine years I have spent in the area has revealed more than 400 km of new explored cave passage and more caves is being explored every day by a handful very active explorers and returning groups from all over the world.

Caves of the Riviera maya offer an incredible variation of caves for all flavors and tastes. We have completely dark, black and tannic stained caves and any shade of that up to beautiful white caves. Cave sizes from extreme sidemount and nomount caves to tunnels and rooms were you could fly a jumbo jet through. Typically we have an average depth of the caves around 10m/30ft but there are also plenty of deeper caves and caves that offer extreme depths up to 120m/400 ft. We have saltwater passages and freshwater caves.

Extremely decorated caves with thousands of speleothems to phreatic tube type caves. Also on any given dive you could experience a mix of all of the above features, depending on to which section of the cave you dive.
You could literally spend a life time here diving and still not see all the explored passages. Another great thing is that this cave is concentrated on a very small area so travel while staying here and diving is minimal.
So how do I visit all these amazing places? Diving can be done on your own by renting a car and tanks or you can hire the service of a guide or possible do a combination of the above.

Diving on your own:

Offers of course the full freedom and somewhat the feeling of exploring. It can be a great feeling being on your own without the eyes of a guide or instructor. Sites vary in difficulty to find and navigate and you can do spectacular but still “easy” dives just fine yourself. Local cave divers and shop owners are typically friendly and I have the feeling that people like to share information, point in the right direction and give tips of where and how to go. Everything from finding the actual dive sites, picking up keys and making simple maps and explanations of dives and caves. So don’t be afraid of going without a guide.

Bring double sets of tanks, lunch and enjoy two great dives at the same site. Or dive in a small, white and decorated cave in the morning, have lunch at the beach under the palm trees and then go for a dive in a black and huge cave in the afternoon. Almost “sounds to good to be true”? It almost does, but this is possible in Mexico and for sure if you are your own boss doing your own thing. Diving on your own is a good way to go and not very hard. But if you are diving for the very first time in Mexico I would still recommend using a guide, at least for the first part of the trip.

Diving with a guide:

 Diving with a guide offers some advantages but also costs a bit more money. General speaking I would say that you get what you pay for. If you are an experienced cave diver you can hire a guide to take you to very special places or do very technical or specific cave dives with you, as you can hire the guide to make your life easier in general. It depends a lot on the guide I would say to what kind of service and value you will get. But a good guide should be able to challenge you and offer the diving that you want and will be happy with. When diving with a guide you don’t have to worry about renting a car, driving in Mexico, finding the dive sites, mainlines, special difficult dives, tanks and in general all the logistics around will be taken care of. However you should never ever put your life in the hands of a guide and you should always stay well within your comfort zone and skill level as a cave diver.

Another advantage of diving with a guide is that you also pick up some tips and tricks and useful information. Also you have the option of being put in “the driver seat”, you can lead the dives and do the works with the reels if you want and the guide can shadow and make sure we end up were we intend to go. That way you can practice more on reel work, communication and navigation. Other option is to sit back and enjoy, never relax, always be aware but enjoy. Option is yours and with good communication I am sure you can come up with a dive plan and schedule that fits your skill and wishes.

Entrance fees and sites:

Depending sites but normally between 10-20 usd/diver/site. Pay at the site or sometimes you have to pay at land owner house or dive shop and pick up a key. Typical opening hours are from 09 – 18 in the most popular and well visited sites to no closing hours since site is in the jungle or the family lives on site or you have the key yourself. Facilities and setup also vary a lot. Some sites have toilets, showers, concrete tables, good platforms and stairs. Some sites are very rough and offer you all the luxury of the pure and raw jungle…
Finding the sites: Typically quite easy. Many entrances are located along the main highways and roads with marked with good signs. But again with the extreme amount of available sites, this also varies a lot.

Finding the lines and diving:

Entrances can be small to huge. Line can start at the surface or up to 80m/270ft inside the cavern or even cave sometimes. Depending site, ask your shop or experienced diver or use a guide to not worry and wasting valuable time trying to find the mainline of the cave. Maps to some of the caves are offered through the QRSS and can be bought at QRSS dealers and dive shops. There is also some “stickmaps” available, search the internet or ask at your shop.
General considerations of the Mexican caves: Cave diving in Mexico can be seen as deceptively easy by many. We have a comfortable water temperature of 24-26 degrees celcius, low flow caves, extremely good visibility of 100m or more and in general shallow profiles. So what’s the big deal and dangers then? Well for once remember that low flow caves are nice but you will also spend the same time swimming out as you did in, that in combination of shallow caves can give you quite some penetration distance. On a set of double Alu 80´s with normal gas consumption you normally turn the dives at 40-60 min. That could be about 3000 ft in the cave and that is a long way from home in case something happens. Caves in Mexico are considered very complex and there are many jumps and possible T’s you might pass. Good awareness is a must to dive the caves of Mexico.

We have to be careful that we don’t end up on the wrong line by mistake or make any navigational errors. Typically jumps and lines are well marked and if you stick to the main passages of most of the caves it should not be a problem, if you travel in less dived passages or caves that are rarely dived or under exploration you have to be extra careful, pay attention to silt, percolation and possible short “reach jumps” and that you don’t miss anything on the way in and out.

Wrapping it up:

Mexico offers some of the coolest diving in the world! Hands down… Diving on your own (friends or team) or with a guide is a personal choice. Both have advantages and disadvantages as everything in life. Caves are very delicate here so please make sure that your skill and equipment matches the caves you want to dive. Be aware that the caves are complex, dive using progressive penetration, good awareness, back referencing, communication, clear dive plans, mark your exit well with personal markers, have a clear mental picture of the dive you are doing, always know your way out and just go slow and enjoy these amazing places…
If you have not been you have to come and if you have been, you have to come again. Life is short and there is so much incredible cave out there…
Dive safe, enjoy and most important remember that cave diving is a possible dangerous activity but don’t forget to have fun…

Thanks for the word / Kim Davidsson